For many people, a trip to the dentist is part of routine healthcare. In Culion, however, it can take monthsโor even yearsโto receive dental treatment.
During Culion Foundation, Inc.’s ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฑ ๐๐๐ป๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐น๐ถ๐ผ๐ป: ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ-๐๐ฎ๐บ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐๐๐๐ด๐ฎ๐ป, ๐ง๐๐น๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ด-๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐๐ on ๐๐๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฏ, ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ, volunteer dentists ๐๐ฟ. ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ผ and ๐๐ฟ. ๐๐น๐ผ๐๐ฑ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฎ provided free consultations and tooth extractions to residents of Malaking Patag, many of whom were receiving dental care for the first time.
For Dr. Pastrana, volunteering is more than giving backโit is a calling. Raised in a family dedicated to missionary work, he has participated in medical missions since becoming a dentist in 2018, believing that every patient served is an opportunity to make a difference.
Beyond treating dental problems, the mission revealed the realities many families face. Patients arrived with severe tooth decay, chronic pain, and other health conditions that sometimes prevented immediate treatment. According to the Culion Rural Health Unit, although dental services are available at the Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital (CSGH), limited capacity means some residents wait a year or more for an appointment.
The mission also highlighted the importance of oral health education. Many patients believed tooth extraction was the only solution to dental pain, underscoring the need for greater awareness of preventive dental care. Through consultations, hygiene kits, and health education, the outreach sought not only to relieve pain but also to help families protect their oral health in the future.
Reflecting on the experience, Dr. Avellano shared:
“๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐จ๐ณ๐ข๐ฎ๐ด ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ ๐ด๐บ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐บ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐บ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ญ๐ช๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ถ๐ญ๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.”
As Culion Foundation celebrates 50 years of service, this mission reminds us that healthcare is not only about treating illnessโit is about making essential services accessible to every community. CFI also welcomes volunteer dentists, dental professionals, and partner organizations who wish to share their time and expertise in bringing quality oral healthcare to the people of Culion. Together, we can restore more smiles, improve lives, and ensure that no community is left behind.
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